condensed Definition and 143 Threads

I have just been accepted to pursue an advanced degree (Masters) in Physics with a specialization in condensed matter. I have some questions regarding this field (Google results are somewhat outdated). (1) What exactly does a condensed matter physicist study? I know it is the study of...

Hi PF Family, I'm a rising junior majoring in physics. I plan to enroll and be accepted into graduate school(s) such as UIUC, Princeton, and MIT. I know that requires much work and hard work. However, my problem is in choosing the right program. I want to be able to integrate CMP and Materials...

Hi all again, I started a post earlier and it was buried somewhere by now. I really need more input and information and hope you all can help. How are admission process different, CM vs MS&E? CM belongs to Physics department while MS&E is usually on the engineering side. I got my Physics...

Hi everyone! I was admitted as an undergraduate transfer student to MIT and Harvard College for Fall 2015. I am now stuck deciding between the two. Which one do you think is better for studying experimental condensed matter physics or just physics in general?

So, I am an incoming MS student interested in going into condensed matter theory. I have always been more comfortable running C++ or FORTRAN simulations or crunching contour integrals than doing math proofs. I only gained the interest in CMT relatively late in my undergraduate career when I...

Im working on deriving the final expression on the attached picture. The problem is that of a particle in a potential coupled to a "bath" of harmonic oscillators but I'm not sure how you arrive at the final expression. First of all, why are you allowed to assume that q is periodic on the...

Looking for textbook recommendations for condensed matter physics at both undergrad and graduate level. Preferably to self teach with, and including questions/answers.

Homework Statement Estimate the resistivity of an amorphous metal whose mean free path is of the order of an atomic spacing. Compare your answer to crystalline copper.Homework Equations VF = h(bar) KF / m VF = l / τ ρ = m / n e2 τ The Attempt at a Solution I think my real issue with this...

Hello! Could someone tell me what they are studying in the first three years (undergradute) in condensed matter physics.

Homework Statement Calculate the Fermi energy, EF at 0K for potassium (atomic weight = 39, density = 860 kgm3). Homework Equations KF3 = 3π2n Fermi Momentum ρ = h(bar)KF The Attempt at a Solution :[/B] For the first part: Using: E = ρ2/ 2m Can substitute Fermi momentum into that to get: EF...

Hi.. I was reading some papers on continuum dynamics and its application to various material dynamics. The determination of macroscopic behavior is being studied , considering phononic interactions. As a material consists of phonons of various wavelengths, it is necessary to account for various...

Hey Everyone, Would appreciate any advice or suggestions. I know that I do not have many "safeties", but that is because I am applying to a bunch of master's programs (not physics /because of research interest) Physics GPA: 3.5ish ( No grade lower than a B... lots of advanced courses!)...

What are some ways that people are applying condensed matter physics/ soft matter physics to optimize some treatments in medicine, e.g. in magnetic hypothermia?

What are some exciting research areas in condensed matter physics at the moment?

Greetings PF! I am in good mood, and I wish you were as well. Everything has been going well since the beginning of the semester: I've been doing well in the three core courses so far, and I am also about to get into research soon hopefully; but not in my initial interest of particle, but in...

Hi all It may sound rather silly, but I am a second year graduate student doing experimental condensed matter physics. Recently I've been thinking about the future like job aspects and salaries etc. One of my friend recently transferred to medical physics PhD and said its better in job...

Hi guys, I have a bachelor's degree in IT (software development, BAC+3), I am 27 years old and I live in Europe. I've always love space and astrophysics but I am interested in physics in general. I decided to go back to school to get a degree in physics but I am not quite sure about which...

Homework Statement Hello, I am preparing a condensed matter exam and I was wondering if I could get some help on the following question from a past exam paper: Show that for the free electron gas at zero temperature the Fermi energy is given by: ε_{F}=\frac{\hbar^{2}}{2m}(3π^{2}N)^{2/3} and...

Problem Solving -- Calculate the mass of steam condensed 1 ) A jet of steam at 100°C is directed into a hole in a large block of ice. After the steam has switched off, the condensed steam and melted ice are both a 0 degrees Celsius. The mass of water collected is 206 g. Calculate the mass of...

I got into a top PHD institution for condensed matter physics. I already have a MS in physics doing condensed matter. Now after a few years of actual research, I'm not sure if condensed matter is for me anymore. I feel like a lot of condensed matter physics right now is just pressing a button on...

Hello, Grad school admissions are about over, and it looks like I will be choosing between UIUC, Cornell, or U Chicago for CME. I have research fellowships from Cornell and U Chicago, still waiting for financial details from UIUC. I'll visit UC and Cornell over spring break, but location...

Hi all. Can anyone please recommend me a good undergraduate level Condensed Matter Physics book that has a number of examples and concise explanations rather than walls of texts? It should cover typical topics such as scattering, magnetism etc. I apologize if this may strike a nerve with...

Franke's "condensed notation for structural synthesis" in this pic I don't understand how we can labelled some lines as 0s and others as 1s.

I'm looking for an REU program to do over the summer in hard condensed matter. Some connection with quantum information/ quantum computing would be awesome, but not necessary. Does anyone have any recommendations?

1. The problem statement, all variables and givenknown data We have a system of three atoms arranged in a circular arrangements. They each have a valence electron that can tunnel to the nearest neighbor. For a tunneling rate -A/\hbar we have the Hamiltonian (shifted by an energy E_a on the...

Hi, I would like to ask whether if a course in Quantum Field Theory (in particle physics context) would be of any use to future condensed matter physicist. Is it beneficial to be exposed to things like Canonical Quantization, Interacting Fields, Dirac Equation, Quantizing Dirac field and QED? I...

From reading this thread, it demonstrates a rather pessimistic view of physics (at least in relation to job employment). Would you say that similar job prospects are true, not only for cosmologists but even condensed matter physicists?

Hi everyone, I would like to ask if anyone can recommend a quantum mechanics textbook as reference for a condensed matter theorist. I am reading a book that requires material I do not remember seeing in my (voluminous) grad QM text (Shankar). It seems to me all quantum textbooks have their...

Hi; As we know that flooded lead acid battery needs to be top-up (watering) after passage of some time and it is recommended to use distilled water. Many people say that water condensed by Air Conditioner is also very good to top-up the battery. Is it true?

I was thinking about the big bang, the universe and thermodynamics, and it led me to the following question. What happens to matter in a cold, super condensed space? The reason I ask is because our universe is expanding and matter is getting further away from other matter. It would seem that if...

Homework Statement At a temperature of 18°C a beam of diffracted monochromatic x-rays is observed at an angle of 150.8° to the incident beam after being diffracted by a crystal with cubic structure. At a temperature of 318°C the corresponding beam makes an angle of 141.6° with the incident...

I will be starting PhD studies in the fall, but first I must decide which school I will attend. I am basing this on what field I want to go into. The choices are Condensed Matter/Quantum Information science or High-Energy Particle physics. I am having a little bit of difficulty deciding. I am...

I've been looking for a condensed matter problem book (undergrad to graduate level) to brush up on a lot of things. I have Kittel and Ashcroft & Mermin but was looking for something more along the lines of 'A Guide to Physics Problems' to get right to the heart of problem solving. I see...

Greetings! I am currently trying to focus my research interests before I begin applying to grad schools this coming fall. When it comes to Physics, I really enjoy Condensed Matter and everything related to it (say, Thermal Physics, Statistical Physics etc). I also took an Electronics...

Hello, I am a master student, currently starting a master thesis on plasma astrophysics after a master focused on high energy theory (lots of QFT and particle physics, with some supersymmetry, string theory...). I already have funding to continue my master thesis as a PhD, but I am getting...

Hi all, I was just wandering what exactly the difference is between the three above areas. From what I understand, solid state physics is a branch of condensed matter. However, would materials science background be very helpful for these areas of study? Any insight would be appreciated, thanks!

I am currently attempting to determine the amount (mass) of water that is condensing during a temperature change inside of a heat exchanger. Inititial Temp is 300°F, Initial Pressure is 19.696psia (5psig) in the air stream, Initial %RH is 5%. Final Temperature is 129°F and becomes 100% RH at...

I'm just doing a bunch of planning ahead right now as I won't even be starting an engineering program until next September. Due to some financial constraints, i'll be taking an engineering technology program first, then working for a couple of years, then going to university for the final two...

Hi, I'm in my senior year, planning on going to grad school and get a PhD. At this point, I'm pretty much set on computational and/or theoretical condensed matter physics (with an emphasis on computation). However, two people have given me the impression that experimental condensed matter is...

Hello, all. I'm considering applying to Ph.D. programs in experimental condensed matter physics. My general research interests would be in the electrical and optical properties of materials, particularly semiconductors and nanostructures, and their applications to information and solar energy...

a) Are quantum effects relevant for the air around us? "Formulas": The Fermi energy of athmosperic air: \epsilon_F = \dfrac{\hbar^2}{2m_{air}}(3\pi^2C)^{2/3} Attempt to solve: I calculated the fermi energy to : \epsilon_F = 1\times 10^{-25}\,\text{J} And k_bT = k_b 293\,\text{K} = 4\times...

Hi everyone, I've just finished my bachelors degree and started grad school. I'm having a really hard time deciding if I want to head into Experimental Particle Physics oder Experimental Solid State Physics for my PhD. I've had a little practical experience in both fields, and I really...

Hi, I am planning on applying to graduate school for condensed matter physics. I'm not entirely sure how I should narrow down my choices though. I have a good GPA, three summers of research experience in different areas (though no publications as of yet, but hoping to have one possibly before...

Hi, I just finished my master in theoretical physics with a strong interest in quantum mechanics and relativity. I always picked the courses that where more or less related to that: qft, cft, gr, critical phenomenas, particle physics, qcd, electroweak, statistical physics, susy. But now, I'd...

I am looking for some suggestions for Condensed Matter and Solid State books. I currently have a one semester undergrad (soon to be two semesters) of Quantum Mechanics background. I am especially skewed toward something along the lines of Dover books, since they are cheap, and some of them are...

I am a Physics major/ Math minor and would like to know what sort of undergrad upper-level math classes would be the most useful for Condensed Matter or Materials Science Theory?

Is anyone familiar with this or heard of this concept before? It started in 1953 by a paper by Dicke published in peer reviewed Physical Review Journal called "Coherence in Spontaneous Radiation Processes" http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PR/v93/i1/p99_1 Then in 1973 Hepp and Lieb published...

A jet of steam @ 100 degrees Celsius is directed into a hole in a large block of ice. After the steam has switched off, the condensed steam and melted ice are both a 0 degrees Celsius. The mass of water collected is 206 g. Calculate the mass of steam condensed. Specific heat capacity of water...

Hi, I'm looking for a Master Degree (2 years) in Condensed Matter Physics (Theory oriented if possible), starting in Autumn 2012. I was thinking about Europe (e.g. Germany, France), but unfortunately I don't know the most active Universities in this field of research, for this reason I'm asking...

Hey tried to post this in the learning materials section but it wouldn't let me for some reason. Anyways, does anyone know if anyone's every written a popular science book (or a documentary) on condensed matter or semiconductors physics or transistors or exotic phases or what have you?